From the Laboratory to Adolescents: Decoding Mentorship Practices in the 2023 Youth Research Mentorship Program​

 At the third "Youth Research Mentorship Program" hosted by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 130 secondary school students submitted impressive "scientific research answers" with 42 interdisciplinary research projects. Among them, Lu Lexi, a Grade 13 student from Sai Wan Island Secondary School, successfully developed the "Smart Firefighting with Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Technology" project under the joint guidance of Dr. Huang Xinyan, Associate Professor of the Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering, and doctoral student Wang Meng. The project, with its technological innovation of "AI fire source detection + autonomous firefighting" and its social applicability, has become a benchmark case in this program. As the core mentors of the project, Dr. Huang Xinyan and Wang Meng have also completed a special "passing on the torch of scientific research" in this process—moving from the laboratory to adolescents, igniting the innovative spark in the younger generation with their expertise and patience.

From "Vague Interest" to "Precision Tackling": Mentor Team Anchors Students' Research Directions​

Lu Lexi's research journey began with a simple idea: "I want to create a robot that can help firefighters extinguish fires." But how to transform this idea into a feasible technical solution? This is precisely the "key task" of mentors Dr. Huang Xinyan and Wang Meng.As an expert in the field of building environment and energy engineering, Associate Professor Huang Xinyan did not directly provide the answer. Instead, he used a "chain of questions" to guide students to break down the requirements: "What is the most dangerous aspect of a fire scene? What are the limitations of existing fire-fighting equipment? How can AI technology compensate for these shortcomings?" Under his guidance, the team clarified two core technical directions: "AI fire source detection" and "autonomous fire extinguishing by robotic arms."Doctoral student Wang Meng focused more on the details of "practical implementation." "Initially, the students were not familiar with programming and mechanical principles, but their curiosity and execution exceeded expectations," Wang Meng recalled. The team proactively learned the basics of Python, mechanical structure design, and even proposed an innovation to "optimize fire source identification using thermal imaging technology"—this shift "from passive reception to active creation" is the most precious sprout of scientific research.Under the joint guidance of the two mentors, Lu Lexi's team completed the entire process from scheme design to prototype debugging in just three months. "The mentors not only taught us technology but also taught us the logic of 'using scientific research to solve problems,'" Lu Lexi said. "For example, when debugging the robotic arm, we always failed to accurately grasp the fire source position. Professor Huang led us to analyze the thermal imaging data, and Dr. Wang accompanied us in repeatedly modifying the angle of the robotic arm, eventually controlling the error within 5 millimeters."

From "Laboratory" to "Real-World Scenarios": The Dual Value of a Study​

 After repeated testing, the team's intelligent fire-fighting robot ultimately achieved the core function of "AI visual precision identification of fire sources within a 0.5 square meter range, locating and spraying inert gas to extinguish the fire within 3 seconds," all without human intervention or the addition of fire extinguishing agents. "Although it has not yet been applied to real fire scenes, we have already communicated with the fire department and plan to conduct field tests after optimizing the waterproof and high-temperature resistance performance," Lu Lexi said. "We hope that in the future, it can truly become a 'safety partner' for firefighters."This achievement not only received a special report in the Oriental Daily (headline: "PolyU Guides 130 Secondary School Students in 42 Research Projects") but was also listed by PolyU as a "key showcase case of youth scientific research achievements." The report specifically mentioned: "Dr. Wang Meng highly praised the students' performance, believing that their learning speed and innovation ability far exceeded expectations; Associate Professor Huang Xinyan said that the students' proactive exploration is the most precious quality in scientific research."

Mentor and Student Collaborative Research: The "Two-Way Rush" of Scientific Research Inheritance​​

 For Huang Xinyan and Wang Meng, the process of guiding adolescents is also a "reawakening" of their own passion for scientific research. "The curiosity of secondary school students often comes with 'leaps,' but it is precisely this 'unrestricted' thinking that allows us to see more possibilities in technology," Huang Xinyan said. "For example, the 'thermal imaging optimization of fire source identification' proposed by Lu Lexi's team was not initially considered by us, but after verification, we found that the effect was significant—this is the charm of intergenerational scientific research collision."Wang Meng felt the power of "inheritance" from the students' growth: "Three months ago, they needed guidance even for basic circuit connections; three months later, Lu Lexi was already able to independently debug algorithms and analyze experimental data." This transformation "from learners to researchers" has further strengthened his determination to participate in such programs: "The future of scientific research lies in the hands of these young people who are willing to 'drill into the details.'"